The Education Achievement Authority of Michigan’s chancellor Veronica Conforme announced today the formation of an 11-member Charter Review Panel made up of parents, teachers, community leaders, EAA staff members and educators. The Charter Review Panel is tasked with reviewing responses to the EAA’s charter school request for proposals, interviewing charter applicants and providing feedback directly to Chancellor Conforme. Interviews will take place next week.
“It is vital that the entire EAA community participate in the process of selecting who will educate our students,” Chancellor Conforme said. “We need to continuously evaluate how our schools are performing to ensure that our students receive the high-quality education they deserve. My top priority is accelerating the pace of student achievement and this is one step in my broader plan to do just that.”
The Charter Review Panel will conduct their evaluations using a rubric developed for the EAA by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, a nationally recognized organization committed to advancing charter school excellence and accountability. The rubric measures the applicant’s academic plan, past successes and their proposed school model.
The diverse group of panel members were selected to provide a thorough and community-driven review of the potential charter operators to ensure that the EAA community has a strong voice in the decision making process. Charter Review Panel members include:
- Joyce Hayes Giles, Chairwoman EAA Board of Directors
- Sharlonda M. Buckman, Executive Director of the Detroit Parent Network
- Peggy Gordon, Parent of EAA students
- Larvern Bey, Parent of EAA student
- Malverne Winborne, Director of the Eastern Michigan University Charter Schools Office
- Tanya Heidelberg-Yopp, CEO of Linked Learning Detroit
- Lynette Simmons, Vice President of Mission Resources Detroit YMCA
- Pamela Chapman, Principal of Brenda Scott Academy
- Michael Gaal, Chief Operating Officer at EAA
- Sean Deiters, Teacher at Nolan Elementary-Middle School
- Alice Thompson, CEO Black Family Development
“I am grateful for our panel members’ willingness to devote their time to this extremely important process, and I look forward to receiving their feedback,” Chancellor Conforme added.
After the Charter Review Panel reviews each application and conducts their interviews, the EAA will make a decision on which charter operators to authorize. The final step in the process is matching authorized charter operators with schools, should that be necessary. At this time, the EAA is not planning to open any additional schools.
Background on the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan (EAA)
The Education Achievement Authority of Michigan is a reform district created as a result of a 2012 inter-local agreement between Detroit Public Schools and Eastern Michigan University. The EAA oversees 15 schools — nine elementary/middle schools, of which three are charters, and six high schools.
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